043
Ian Abdulla
Ngarrindjeri (born 1947)
Rat Traps
synthetic polymer paint on paper; framed
60 x 76cm
inscribed “The next morning my Father and Brother/ would go out in
the boat to check the trap to/ see how many rats were caught over night”
Abdulla’s work records a period in rural Aboriginal histories referred
to as the Depression of the 1950s, when Aboriginal families such as Abdulla’s
sought an independent life away from the mission (in the artist’s
case, Gerard Mission). These personal life experiences are the focus of
the artist’s subject matter. [ref: Marking Our Times, NGA collection
catalogue, 1996, p76]
PROVENANCE
Shapiro Auctioneers, 8/9 May 2002, lot 341
Private Collection, Sydney